It's Worth The Sacrifice
by Hypnotoad76
Summary: Jeff finds out Annie lied about the real reason she let Professor Cornwallis rub her feet
1. Chapter 1

It wasn't until they left the study room that the full weight of Annie's confession hit Jeff. Most likely his brain didn't want to process it, so he focused on other things at the time he heard it, like his own confession and comforting Shirley in regards to hers. But after he had left the room and walked away from the others it hit him like a freight train, to the point where he had to stop and lean against the wall because he felt so sick to his stomach.

A bevy of emotions hit him one right after another. A deep feeling of nausea that this had happened to Annie. Sadness and disappointment that she felt she had to result to doing such an act just for a grade. But most of all he felt angry. Angry that she allowed this to be done to her, but even greater anger towards the creep who touched her. He was a teacher and had taken advantage of a student. Even if Annie wasn't exactly a child, he was still someone who had authority over her. And he used that authority to get his sick pleasures.

Before he had time to think about what he was doing Jeff marched in the direction of Professor Cornwallis's office. Once he arrived he threw the door open, revealing the old man quietly grading papers. "What in the world?" the professor said in shock as Jeff closed the door. "Can I help you with something young man? Or is barging into a professor's office just another eccentricity one should expect at this school?"

Jeff flexed his fingers as he walked towards the scumbag. While he wasn't normally a violent person, he longed to hit the man for what he did. But somehow the voice of reason in his head (which strangely sounded like the person he was defending) told him that if he hit the man he would be expelled. And that Cornwallis seemed like the type of man who would try and make trouble for him. So he forced himself to stand in front of the man and simply say, "How could you?"

"I'm afraid you're going to have to be a tad more specific."

"How could you do that to her? Touch her like that?"

"Now look," Cornwallis said as he got up and held his hands up defensively. "I know what you may be thinking, but I swear it was completely consensual. We all have needs, and she is a rather attractive bird, even if she's dumb as a bag of bricks." Just as Jeff almost punched Cornwallis on principal for insulting Annie the professor said in disbelief, "I mean really, what kind of a sodding bint spells their name with a QU instead of a K?"

"What?" Jeff said in confusion. "Who are you talking about?"

"Who are _you_ talking about?"

"Annie Edison!"

Relief washed over Cornwallis's face as he visibly relaxed. "Oh, I thought you were talking about that girl Quendr- it doesn't matter." He smiled rather unpleasantly as he began to piece together why Jeff was in his office. "So, I surmise you're here because she told you about our little, shall we say, quid pro quo."

"You mean when you sexually violated my friend."

"First of all, I should point out that men don't usually get this jealous over a woman they simply see as a friend. And second, as I'll say again this time, she and I were both consenting adults on the matter. Okay, maybe some coercion took place, but I wouldn't say it as baldly as you phrased it."

"You're a teacher!" Jeff yelled as he felt his hands shake with anger. "And you convinced her to let you touch her feet just so you wouldn't fail her."

Jeff's anger increased even more so as Cornwallis began to laugh. "Fail her? Is that what she told you? That girl is one of the brightest minds I've ever taught. She might be a little too dependent on academic theory, but she's still smarter than most of the souls I've tried to impart knowledge on. Fail her, that's a joke. The only reason she received an A- on her last paper was because I used a higher standard in her grading then with the rest of my students."

Jeff felt some of his anger morph into confusion as he tried to make sense of what he was hearing. "So she wasn't failing…then why did she…?" He felt himself gag at the thought that this might have happened because she was actually attracted to the perverted old man.

"I thought you might have been able to guess the answer, but I see I'll have to spell it out for you," Cornwallis replied smugly. "My rendezvous with Miss. Edison occurred because of you, Mr. Winger."

"What?" Jeff said as cold shock took hold of him.

"She was never the one in danger of failing. You were. So to spare you the waste of taking my class next year, the two of us struck a deal. If she allowed me to give her a simple little foot rub, I would pass you. So before you come barging in here and accusing me of being some sort of deviant, just know that if not for you this would not have occurred." He smiled as he picked up a mug of tea from his desk and toasted Jeff.

Jeff breathed rapidly as he literally saw red at what he was hearing. He almost said 'fuck it' to the consequences and hit the smug pervert. But if he threw a punch, he wouldn't stop until the man was put on life support. Instead he knocked the mug out of his hand, where it smashed to a hundred pieces. Cornwallis stammered in anger as Jeff turned on his heels and stormed out to find the one person he needed to talk to right now.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Jeff waited outside Annie's current class (grateful that no one else in the study group took it) until it was over. Once the door opened and people started filing out, he waited until Annie walked into the hallway. "Oh, hey Jeff."

"I need to talk to you. Right now." Before she could protest he took hold of her arm and led her towards the supply closet they sometimes gathered in.

"Jeff, what's going on?"

He didn't say anything to her until they were in the closet. Once the door was locked he turned around and said, "I need to talk to you about your confession."

"Jeff," Annie said as she sighed. "Can we not talk about it? It was bad enough telling you guys twice. Let's just forget it."

"First of all, that's not something that should just be ignored. And second, I know why you did it."

"I told you guys why. I wasn't doing well in the class and Cornwallis-."

"I know that's a lie Annie. I just saw Cornwallis and he told me why you did it. You let him touch your feet to keep me from failing."

The color drained from Annie's face as she processed what she had just heard. "He told you?"

"Yes Annie. He said you're doing great in his class and you let him touch you to keep me from failing."

She frowned as the gears in her head began turning, piecing together how little time passed from her telling her confession in the study room and Jeff finding out what actually happened. "Jeff, did you talk to Professor Cornwallis about this?"

"Yes!," Jeff yelled, for once not even bothering to try and deny his actions.

"Why did you do that?" she yelled back. "Do you have any idea what you've done? What did you say?"

"I confronted him about what he did to you and he said you did it to keep him from failing me. Is that right?"

"Yes, no, not exact…Jeff, it's a little more complicated than you think."

Jeff stiffened as he was overcome with equal parts terror and rage. "Wait, you're not…HIM?" Annie shuttered as Jeff yelled at her. "You're fooling around with him?! I thought you were better than that! Why would you degrade yourself with such a-."

"Stop it!" Annie yelled in such a deathly serious tone that Jeff immediately shut up. "I am _not _having sex with Professor Cornwallis. How could you even think that?"

"I never thought you would let guys touch you for a grade either, but here we are."

"Jeff, that's not why I did it. Okay, yes I let him touch my feet to keep him from failing you. But that's not the main reason I did it. I did it to save this school."

"What?" Jeff stammered out in complete confusion.

Annie walked over and made sure the door was locked before sitting down on a chair. Jeff absentmindedly did the same as she gathered herself. "All right, you have to promise that you'll hear me out when I tell you this, and that you will not say anything to anyone. Okay?" She waited for Jeff to give her an answer, but after a few seconds she decided to take him on his silence. "It all happened a few weeks ago…

"_Now remember, read chapter nine and be prepared to talk about it next class. Participation is worth 25% of your final grade!" Professor Cornwallis yelled as everyone got up and left the class. _

"_How'd you do on the test Jeff?" Annie asked as they all gathered themselves. Not waiting for an answer she reached over and grabbed the paper from his desk. _

"_Hey, give me that." He grabbed the paper from her, but not before she saw the grade on it. _

"_Jeff, a 76 isn't that bad. You shouldn't hide it." _

"_Is that what'd you say if you got that grade?" Troy asked jokingly. _

"_She'd be upset, but I don't think she'd be devastated," Abed countered with. _

"_Yes, I got a passing grade. Big woop," Jeff said. He crumpled up his test paper and tossed it in the trash can, to the disappointment of Annie. _

"_You really should save all you're tests Jeff." _

"_Why?" He asked with a shrug. "I know what the grade is, why should I hold on to the paper?" _

"_Miss. Edison," Cornwallis called out as the group was walking out of the classroom. "Can I have a word with you?" _

"_Sure," Annie said as she came around and sat back down at her desk. She watched as Professor Cornwallis closed the door and came over to her. "Is something wrong?" _

"_No, not at all," he said as he stood over her. "I actually wanted to say how bright of a student you were. I've been teaching for a long time and I haven't met too many minds as bright as yours." _

"_Oh, thank you," Annie said with a smile. _

"_It's a shame not everyone in the class is doing as well as you are though. Like your friend Jeff." _

_Annie's smile turned into a frown as she heard that. "Jeff's not doing well? That can't be true. I just saw his last test and he got a 76. It's not the greatest grade, but it's not terrible." _

"_Unfortunately for Mr. Winger, test scores aren't the only way he's scored in my class," Cornwallis said condescendingly. "As I mentioned before, class participation is a big part of one's overall grade. And given how Mr. Winger spends most of my classes on his phone, I'm afraid I'm going to have to give him a zero on participating in class." _

"_A zero?" Annie said in disbelief. _

"_That's right. And given how his test and paper scores have been Cs and Ds, I don't think there's any way he won't receive a failing grade." _

_Annie sat there in shock, feeling very sad for Jeff. Even though she had been resentful of him wanting to graduate early, she didn't want him to have to stay here for an extra semester just for a single class. As she sat there she started wondering why Cornwallis was telling her this instead of Jeff. "Wait, why did you just tell me all this? Did you want me to tutor Jeff so he can pass?"_

"_Well actually, there is a way you can help Mr. Winger." He moved over to her side and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You are a very attractive young woman." _

"_Thanks," she said uncertainly. _

"_And you happen to possess many pleasing attributes." She felt uncomfortable as his gaze wandered until he seemed to be looking at the floor. "Has anyone ever told you, you have very lovely feet?" _

"_No," she answered in a small voice. _

"_Well they are. Small, dainty, very smooth and perfectly shaped." Annie suddenly wished she had worn socks or stockings with her ballet flats as he continued. "I spent some time in Asia in my salad days, where feet are as erotically worshiped as breasts are here. Men find it very erotic to run their hands across a woman's feet there. I've seen many women with beautiful feet in my day. But yours might be the finest pair I've ever seen." _

_Annie inched back in her seat, wanting to stay as far away from Cornwallis as she could. She didn't like this conversation at all. The more he talked the more she felt less like a person and more like one of the sex dolls she used to see in Dildopolis. "I have to go now." _

"_But I thought we were discussing how you could help Mr. Winger with his grade problem." He leaned over her desk, making her feel almost trapped in her chair. "It's very simple actually. I'm just asking if I could give you a little foot rub. Nothing seedy or anything like that. Just a foot massage between friends. And in exchange for this small favor, I'll give Mr. Winger's class participation grade another look. See if I can find a way to raise it up to a passing level." _

_Annie's eyes blazed in anger at what she was hearing. He wanted her to essentially prostitute herself in order to save Jeff. It made her feel sick, and she was about to tell him that when there was a light knock on the door. Cornwallis put a finger to his lips before going over and opening the door. "Yes?" _

"_Professor?" Annie looked over and saw that it was a freshman girl she had seen around school. "Can I speak to you for a minute?" _

"_Yes, of course. Miss. Edison, if you'll wait outside we'll finish our conversation once I'm done with this." _

_Annie got up and walked quickly out of the room, fully intending on running as far away as she could. But just as she was about to she noticed that the door hadn't quite been closed all the way. Curious as to what was going on, she stayed to the side of the door, listening in on the conversation. _

"_Professor Cornwallis, this grade on my paper is totally unacceptable. I worked really hard on it. It's at least a B." _

"_It might have been a B in the eyes of other educators at this school. But to me it was D work. And you're lucky I was that generous." _

"_Do you know what a D will do to my GPA? I'm looking to transfer next year and this will really hurt me." _

"_Well, there might be a way we can work around this." _

"_Oh thank you Sir. I'll do anything. I'll rewrite the paper or do some extra credit-." _

"_That wasn't exactly what I had in mind." Annie watched as he placed his hand on the girl's shoulder in the same way he had just done to her. "Why don't you come by my office later on this evening? We can discuss how you can get a good grade in my class." _

_Annie backed up from the door, feeling even sicker then she thought possible. He was manipulating that girl so he could touch her, or possibly do something even worse. And who knew how many other women he had done this to at school? _

_She wanted to run and tell someone so he could be stopped, but she didn't have any proof except her word, which might not be enough if it came down to her word against his. He was one of the few truly esteemed educators at Greendale and was looked up to by many. And despite her academic success, she was still known as one seventh of the 'Greendale Seven'_ _who continually put out a lot of people at the school. Unless she could find others he had violated and convince them to come forward, she would need her own concrete proof if she wanted to take him down. _

_And just like she thought of how she could get that proof. It was crazy, and she wasn't sure if she could really do it. But it would prove he was a predator and give her something to back up her claim with. _

_She looked over as the door opened and the girl walked away looking none too happy. Seeing her, and thinking about what might happen to her, had Annie make her decision right then and there. She walked back inside, where Professor Cornwallis was leaning against his desk. "Anyway, as I was saying-." _

"_I'll do it." _

"_Really?" he exclaimed slyly. _

"_Yes. Just, give me an hour. I want to get ready." _

"_Very good. I like a pair of trotters that have been freshly washed and scrubbed. Why don't we meet in my office in one hour to fulfill our arrangement?" _

_Annie smiled at the man (which looked more like she was constipated) before quickly walking out of the room, having only an hour to get her plan into action. _

_XXXXXXXXXXXX_

"_Garrett, I need a favor," Annie quickly said as she burst into the AV room. _

_Garrett looked up from his television screen, appearing none too pleased at being interrupted. "I'm very busy. What is it?" _

"_I need to borrow a very tiny camera that can be hidden in an everyday object." _

"_Why?" _

_Annie's face blanked for a second before she quickly said, "I want to shoot some footage for a movie idea I have. And I'll get better reactions if people don't know they're being filmed." _

_Garrett sighed deeply before getting up and opening a supply cabinet. He pulled out a box and handed it to Annie. "All the objects in there have hidden cameras in them. Just plug in a cord and you can download it onto your computer. Normally you have to have permission to sign it out, but I'll let you borrow it if you do a favor for me." _

"_What is it?" Annie asked uncertainly. _

"_I'm directing a production of The Wizard of Oz next month and I need someone to play Toto." _

"_Um, okay, sure. Just do me a favor and don't tell Abed about any of this. I don't want him thinking I'm stealing his 'thing' or anything." She rooted through the box until she found a pin of a bronze squirrel, with the lens as the eye. She had Garrett show her how to work it before she left the room, one step closer to taking down Cornwallis. _

_XXXXXXXXXXXX_

_Annie stood outside his office door, taking deep breaths. It had seemed so easy in her head. Get Professor Cornwallis rubbing her feet on tape so she could use it as evidence when she exposed him. But now that it was actually time, she didn't know if she could go through with it. She was still letting him touch her. And what if he wanted to take it even further? She had a can of mace in her purse just in case, but still…_

_She thought about the young woman she had seen earlier, and who knows how many others he had violated. He had to be stopped. A few minutes of discomfort would end up saving many women in the school. She finally made her decision as she knocked on the door. _

"_Come in," she heard him say. She slipped inside his office, seeing him leer openly at her. "Ah, Miss. Edison. Would you be so kind as to lock the door?" _

_Annie tried to hide her gulp as she turned the lock, knowing there was no turning back now. She adjusted her sweater so the button was turned up enough to tape his face as she walked towards him. "So just to be clear Professor Cornwallis, our deal is I let you touch my feet in exchange for Jeff passing History?" _

"_That's the gist of it. Did you prepare yourself?" _

"_Yes," Annie lied, feeling slightly happy that she hadn't done anything to her feet during her allotted hour. _

"_Take a seat over there and take off your shoes," he said as he gestured to a chair next to his desk. She trembled slightly as she sat down and took her flats off. As he came over and knelt in front of her she readjusted her sweater, hoping she got it so the act was in frame. _

_As he ran his fingertips lightly over the tops of her feet Annie closed her eyes, trying to think of anything else but what was happening. She remembered when she was a kid and she would hear her parents fighting downstairs. She would block out the badness by imagining she was in a 'sea of knowledge'. An imaginary world where books filled every single area. Summoning her imagination Annie once again brought herself to that wonderful place, seeing it in her eyes and taking her out of what was happening at the moment. _

_She saw herself literally swimming in a sea of words and paper. And not her feet being grasped in rough cracked hands. _

_She heard the clickity clack of the knowledge train as it sped on by. And now his ragged breath as he panted in excitement. _

_She smelled the rich musty sent of old books. And not his fish and chips breath as he blew on her feet. _

_She felt the knowledge bird open its wings and embrace her in a cocoon of safety. And not his rough hands massaging her feet and toes. _

"_All right then." Annie opened her as she felt his hands leave her feet. He got to her feet, making no effort to hide how much he had enjoyed this act. "I'd say that's good enough." _

_Annie tried not to look at his erection as she quickly put her shoes back on and got up, ready to bolt. "So, that's it then. You're not going to fail Jeff now?" _

"_I'm a man of my word. And rest assured that your 'friend', will not have to worry about repeating my class. A deal's a deal. I'll see you in class Miss. Edison." _

_With that Annie unlocked the door and practically sprinted down the hallway to the nearest bathroom. Once inside she tore her shoes off and wet some paper towels. She began furiously scrubbing her feet, trying desperately not to cry at what she had allowed to happen. While she knew it would ultimately help others, she still felt dirty and sick inside. _


	2. Chapter 2

Jeff sat there stock still as Annie finished her story, trying to come to terms with what he had just heard. It was bad enough hearing it from Professor Cornwallis. But hearing Annie go into vivid detail on what had transpired was beyond repulsive. He really thought he was going to throw up during her description of the actual event.

He sighed deeply before asking her, "So what did you do with the tape?"

Annie opened her backpack and pulled out the squirrel pin camera. "I've kept it with me until I'm ready to use it."

As she said that Jeff realized there was something about her story that didn't make sense. "Wait a minute? You said you did all this so you could expose Cornwallis and get him fired, right?"

"Right."

"Then why is he still here? He should have been fired and arrested after you told the dean what happened." He looked at her sternly as a look of guilt took hold of her. "You haven't told the dean any of this yet, haven't you?"

Annie cast her eyes downward as Jeff continued to give her a disapproving look. She knew how this was going to come across. But she was doing what was best for everyone, even if it wasn't the most moral option available. "I'm going to tell the dean about Cornwallis. But I'm waiting until after the semester is over. If I turn him in now it could be like Biology all over again, where we all get an incomplete and have to retake History next semester. But if I wait until after the class is over everyone passes."

"And what makes you think we can just sit in front of him after what he did?"

"Jeff, besides you no one else seemed to care that he touched my feet." As she actually said it out loud, Annie realized it had hurt her that the group had been so blasé when she told then about what Cornwallis did to her (even if Jeff was the only one of them who knew the real version of what happened). She ignored her thoughts as she continued to argue about her decision with Jeff. "So I think they'll be fine with continuing to take his class. And if he is fired and we get incompletes you'll have to take the class again and won't graduate this semester. It's better if we just wait until after it's over and then turn him in."

"Well I'm not waiting," Jeff said. Before she could react he reached over and snatched the pin from her hand.

"Jeff, what are you doing?"

"What you should have already done. I'm going to the dean and telling him about Cornwallis."

"Jeff, no!" Annie yelled. She scrambled from her chair as she tried to get the pin back, but Jeff stood up and held it high above his head while stepping back so she couldn't even reach it if she stood on her chair. Unless she was willing to physically hurt him enough for him to drop the camera (which might be possible if she went for his legs or groin), she wasn't able to get it from him by force. "Jeff please don't do this. Just wait until-."

"Annie, you said you did all this to keep other women at this school from being used by that creep. Well every day you wait to turn him in it puts someone at risk of being violated by him. This can't wait, even if it leads to us having to retake the class."

"But what about everything you've done to graduate early? If we just wait we can expose him and you don't have to be here next semester."

"Are you even listening to me? The longer we wait the greater the chance is he'll abuse someone else. This can't wait!"

"Jeff-"

"No Annie. I'm making sure he's out of here right now." He unlocked the door, but turned back towards Annie before opening it. "Maybe the reason you want to wait to get rid of him isn't for my sake, but for yours. Maybe the thought of putting your academic future at risk is more important than taking down the pervert who violated you." With that he opened the door and stormed out of the supply closet. As Annie stood there she shook from his words, wondering if maybe there was indeed a bit of truth to what he had just said.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"We know a cat who can really do the cool jerk. Well now, this dean be talking about, I wonder who could it be. Cause I know I'm the heaviest cat, the heaviest cat you ever did see."

Dean Pelton quickly stopped singing as Jeff walked into his office. "Jeffrey. I was just…what can I do for you?"

"Professor Cornwallis has been forcing women at this school to do sexual favors in exchange for grades."

"What? Jeffrey, that's a very serious accusation. And without proof or someone else's testimony I'm afraid-"

"I have evidence right here," Jeff said as he showed the dean the camera. "There's a camera in this pin that Annie used to recorded herself when he gave her that foot rub and-" He abruptly stopped as a sudden thought came to him. "Wait a minute. Why didn't you react before?"

"Um…react to what Jeffrey?" Dean Pelton stammered as his eyes darted from the pin to Jeff.

"Before, when you had us use those puppets and we revealed our confessions. You heard that a teacher had taken advantage of a student, from that student herself, and you didn't bat an eye. The same man who specifically warned us first when the school was on fire didn't seem outraged that Annie had been violated by a teacher." Jeff felt himself grow anger as the pieces started falling into place. "You already knew, didn't you? You knew Annie had been touched by that creep."

"Jeffrey, no. I had no idea anything had happened between Annie and Professor Cornwallis before today."

"But you knew he had been doing this to other women, didn't you? That's why you didn't react when you heard what happened to Annie. That's why you didn't immediately fire him."

Dean Pelton got up and went around his desk as he tried to explain himself. "Jeffrey, you know I love this school. But everyone knows Greendale doesn't exactly attract the brightest teachers. I mean, we continually rank in the lower 20% of best teachers in the country. Having someone of Professor Cornwallis's stature on our faculty really gives our image a boost."

"And what do you think it'll do to this school's reputation when it's discovered that you sat back and let him violate students? Then, rather than keep an eye on a man who lost his last job because he fooled around with a student, you encouraged his behavior by doing nothing. Because trust me, unless he's gone immediately I _will_ make sure you're involvement is made public."

Dean Pelton's eyes widened in fear before he let out a nervous laugh. "Well, what makes you think your word will be taken over mine?"

"Dean, it's _me_. Even if it was a lie I would convince people it was the truth." Jeff knew he was overestimating his silver tongue, but he was sure the dean wouldn't call his bluff.

His guess was correct as the dean sigh deeply in defeat. "All right Jeffrey. What exactly is your plan?"

"You're going to fire Professor Cornwallis immediately for what he's done to the women at this school. In exchange for him leaving quietly and immediately you won't go public with what he's done." Jeff hated to see the bastard get off Scott free, but he figured it would lesson Annie's involvement in the matter. And once this was over he might be able to get people to come forward and expose him. But right now Jeff's concern was getting the deviant out of Greendale.

"All right, Jeffrey," Craig quietly said. "And what should I say to people when they ask why I suddenly fired Cornwallis?"

"Make something up. He resigned, he took up another position, something. Though if the other women he's violated have told anyone, people will probably guess why he's gone. As for the study group, when you tell them say you fired him after hearing Annie's foot rub confession. I want her involvement in all of this kept quiet. Understand?"

"Yes, I understand. Um, Jeffrey. Not that I'm not thrilled at the thought of seeing you for another semester. But if Cornwallis leaves right now and we can't find a replacement, everyone in his class will get an incomplete and will have to retake History. That means you won't be able to graduate this semester."

"I know," Jeff said simply. "But it's worth it."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"So as you might have already heard, yesterday Professor Cornwallis resigned from Greendale, and we have unfortunately been unsuccessful in finding a late-term replacement, which sadly means you're grade in History will be an incomplete and you will have to retake the class next semester," Dean Pelton said while grasping onto Jeff's shoulder.

"Does Professor Cornwallis's leaving have anything to do with what happened between him and Annie?" Abed asked the dean.

"As of now I'm not at liberty to discuss specifics Abed. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to write an ad for yet _another_ professor to fill a vacant teaching spot," Craig huffed in annoyance before leaving the study room.

As he left Jeff watched the rest of the group as everyone reacted to what they had just heard. Jeff had been concerned that they might be resentful of Annie for her involvement in the matter (even if they didn't know the exact details). But in the twenty four hours since they heard about Cornwallis touching her feet, they had become more concerned and disgusted than they initially reacted. Britta offered to talk to her about it, while Pierce of all people said she was worth too much to sell her body and that he would have bribed Cornwallis if she needed help with her grades.

Annie smiled at what she was hearing. While she had lied to protect Jeff and keep her taped encounter a secret, it hadn't sat well with her that no one seemed to react to her allowing a teacher to touch her for a grade. Knowing they had been concerned for her well-being meant a lot for her.

Once the study session was over everyone packed up and left the room. As Annie finished putting her stuff in her backpack she saw that Jeff was hanging back. "Jeff, wait. I'm sorry you're not able to graduate this semester."

"Yeah, it would have been nice to finally get out of here. But I'll stay one more semester if it means he's gone."

Annie smiled sadly before her face became calm and pensive. "I thought about what you said yesterday. About waiting to turn him in so it wouldn't affect my academic success."

"Annie look, I was mad and just said that to-."

"You might have had a point. If he left before we finished the class I'd have to take again next year in addition to my other classes. And while I love learning, it would have made it harder to give everything my full attention with the extra workload. So maybe I was putting myself before others with all of this."

"Annie no," Jeff said as he shook his head. "The only reason you let that creep touch you was to expose what he was doing and to help me. That's not putting yourself before others."

"Then why did I wait to turn him in? If not for you he would still be here."

"Because you were still looking out for all of us. You wanted to make sure the group got through History without having to retake it." He moved to sit in the empty chair next to her as he continued. "Though this whole thing started because you put others before yourself. You should never have had to let him touch you for any reason."

"I did it to help people," she said softly. "I knew I might not be able to convince people without proof, so I got it. I hated it and felt ashamed afterwards. And this is coming from someone who once lived above a sex shop. But in the end what I did helped other women at this school."

"I know you did it for the greater good, but shouldn't have to be a martyr to help others. You're self-worth is too valuable to offer it up like that." Jeff paused as he became unexpectedly emotional at what he was saying. "I know I don't always treat you with the respect you deserve, but I really do think very highly of you. You valued yourself so much that you were willing to lose everything to get the help you needed when you spiraled out of control. To me, only someone with real character could do that. You're an inspiration."

Annie tried to hold back her tears as she listened to what Jeff was saying. He smiled back at her before resigning himself to ask her something else. "There is one thing I'm confused about. Back when we told each other our confessions. Why did you lie about what happened?"

"Originally that's what I practiced saying if anyone found out it had happened. I didn't want you to know it had anything to do with you. And if I said I taped him, it could have possibly gotten to Cornwallis and he might have done something to try and get the tape before I exposed him. So I practiced saying it happened because I was desperate to do well in the class. And when we were high and confessing things we were ashamed of, I just automatically spit out the version I trained myself to say."

"All right, that part I strangely get. But I don't understand why you told that lie in the first place. People rarely if ever half confess to something. So why freely bring it up at all if you were lying about what actually happened?"

Annie was silent for a few moments as she thought about how to best answer that. "Maybe I said that version…because I'm afraid it could actually happen."

"Annie, no. I-"

"Jeff. I spent a long time only being valued based on my grades. Growing up my parents only said they loved me if I brought home an A. And people only used to talk to me to try and have me give them test answers. Even after meeting you guys and everything we've gone through together, it's hard for me to shake away that mentality. So I'm afraid if I ever did slip, I would panic and do something I'd regret to keep getting A's, because that's what I'm used to associating love and value with. I mean, I doubt I'd have turned to Adderall if I didn't think that way," Annie finished in a small voice.

Annie had been looking down as she finished talking, so she didn't notice when Jeff moved his chair closer to her. She jumped a little as she felt him wrap her arms tightly around her before she leaned against him, her body sagging in relief at having finally gotten out what she had carried inside her for so long.

"Annie, you're worth so much more than just a slew of lousy A's. You're bright, funny, kind hearted. You're willing to help others but expect them to pull their own weight too. You're an inspiration, and it has nothing to do with grades. You have to know that even if you didn't continually get A's you would still be loved by all of us. That I would still love you. You're so much more than just a good grade in a tight sweater."

She laughed/sobbed at his last statement as she rested her head against Jeff's chest. She waited for him to let go of her or make some other joke. But he just simply held onto her. After a few moments she raised her own arms and wrapped them around Jeff, pulling him even closer to her.

They continued to sit there in the study room, holding onto one another in each other's arms. Annie knew it would be a while before she truly stopped associating grades with love and self-worth. But if anything, she knew that she had too much going for her to devalue herself for a letter grade. And that was a far more valuable lesson then she'd ever gain from a simple A.


End file.
